Bush speaks of Whitman as running mate

NEWARK, N.J. {AP} George W. Bush, reaching out to women and political moderates, kept up his focus on education Wednesday and suggested that support for abortion rights wouldn't necessarily disqualify any potential running mate.

Bush, the expected Republican presidential nominee, toured a charter school that he said showed how his proposal for alternatives to failing schools could work. New Jersey Gov. Christie Whitman, mentioned by some as a possible vice presidential choice, accompanied him.

While saying he had not made any running mate lists, Bush spoke warmly of Whitman when asked about her chances, even though he opposes abortion and she favors abortion rights.

"Good people can disagree on the issue, and I understand that and I'm standing here with a friend of mine," Bush said after he and Whitman toured the North Star Academy, an inner-city charter school with a 700-child waiting list.

"We disagree on some aspects of the issue," Bush added. "That doesn't mean we can't be pulling for the same thing, being on the same team, and I respect Governor Whitman's views and I respect her as a person."

The Texas governor's comments on abortion and his focus this week on education were part of his move back toward the political center after a bitter Republican primary campaign in which some analysts believe he moved too far right.

On Tuesday, Bush rolled out a $5 billion reading initiative. On Thursday in Wisconsin, Bush plans to promote teacher recruiting and retraining.

Bush started his day Wednesday by having breakfast with Archbishop Theodore McCarrick, the Roman Catholic head in Newark. During the primary campaign, Bush was criticized for speaking at Bob Jones University, a South Carolina school whose leaders have embraced anti-Catholic views.

In the last two elections, the GOP has been plagued by a gender gap, the trend for men to support Republicans and women to support Democrats.

In recent polls, Vice President Al Gore, the likely Democratic nominee, is running only several percentage points ahead of Bush among women, however, while the Texas governor is out polling Gore among men by about one dozen percentage points.

Gore campaign spokesman Doug Hattaway said Bush would not fool anyone about his stance on the issue by picking an abortion right supporter to be his vice presidential candidate.

"His record is staunchly anti-choice and he would be an anti-choice president no matter who he picks as a running mate," Hattaway said.

Steve Salmore, a Republican political analyst from New Jersey, said Whitman would be an unlikely choice for Bush because her pro-abortion views could inflame internal conflict.